mid-division, headway 11th, challenged 2 out, led flat, pushed clear towards finish
close up, led 4th to 12th, outpaced 4 out
with leaders to 10th, outpaced when blundered 13th
led to 4th, led again 12th to 2 out, soon outpaced, stayed on to regain 2nd, flat
in touch, dropped rear 8th, never dangerous after
not fluent in rear, never dangerous
held up in touch, headway 4 out, led 2 out, headed flat, no extra towards finish
held up in rear, blundered 6th, struggling halfway, tailed off when pulled up before last
According To John has scared the opposition away and should have little more than an exercise canter, with Love That Benny and Mister Magnum perhaps best for the places. Nicky Richards has some very, very useful novices chasers at Greystoke, and judged on his easy Carlisle success, According To John is certainly one of them. He revealed his potential by going through last season unbeaten in four outings over timber, and showed that he has a bright future over fences when beating Royal Rosa on his reappearance at the Cumbrian track three weeks ago. He jumped and stayed well, and indeed it was hard to fault his performance, so he just has to be followed until beaten. Love That Benny crept up the weights over hurdles without winning often so going chasing is probably a wise option and he will like the ground, while Mister Magnum is still a maiden but is another that might benefit from a switch to the bigger obstacles. It is difficult to say anything positive about most of these, and in truth this should be little more than an exercise canter for According To John.